--- title: "Fastenal vs Steel Blue: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Fastenal or Steel Blue more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the PPE and safety gear suppliers set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/fastenal-vs-steel-blue" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Fastenal vs Steel Blue: Which is searched more? Is Fastenal or Steel Blue more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the PPE and safety gear suppliers set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Fastenal and Steel Blue - **Competitive set**: PPE and safety gear suppliers - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Fastenal Share of Search**: 15.7% - **Steel Blue Share of Search**: 3.9% ## Is Fastenal or Steel Blue more popular in search? - In September 2026, Fastenal had more branded searches than Steel Blue among PPE and safety gear suppliers worldwide. Fastenal had about 246,000 branded searches, while Steel Blue had 60,500. Fastenal made up 15.7% of all PPE and safety gear supplier searches we track, and Steel Blue accounted for 3.9%. - Fastenal was ahead of Steel Blue in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fastenal’s share of searches among PPE and safety gear suppliers worldwide moved from 18.5% to 15.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 301K to 246K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Steel Blue’s share of searches among PPE and safety gear suppliers worldwide moved from 3.7% to 3.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 60.5K. ## Top PPE and safety gear suppliers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Fastenal was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Steel Blue did not appear in any of the four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Grainger | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Fastenal | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | MSC Industrial Supply | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Steel Blue | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Total Safety | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | ProChoice | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about PPE and safety gear suppliers - Asked ChatGPT "Which PPE supplier should I use?": 1. Grainger, 2. Fastenal, 3. MSC Industrial Supply - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best PPE suppliers?": 1. Grainger, 2. Fastenal, 3. MSC Industrial Supply - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best PPE supplier for workplace safety gear?": 1. Grainger, 2. Fastenal, 3. MSC Industrial Supply - Searched Google, AI Overview "industrial safety gear": 1. Grainger Not named in any answer: Steel Blue, Total Safety and ProChoice. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for PPE and safety gear suppliers worldwide in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Fastenal worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 246K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Fastenal estimated searches | Fastenal Share of Search | Fastenal rank | Steel Blue estimated searches | Steel Blue Share of Search | Steel Blue rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 301K | 18.5% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.7% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 246K | 18.4% | 2 | 60.5K | 4.5% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 246K | 18.4% | 2 | 60.5K | 4.5% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 301K | 18.6% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.7% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 301K | 18.6% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.7% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 301K | 18.4% | 2 | 74K | 4.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 301K | 18.6% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.7% | 3 | | May 2026 | 246K | 15.7% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.9% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 301K | 18.6% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.7% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 246K | 15.8% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.9% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 246K | 15.7% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.9% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 246K | 15.7% | 2 | 60.5K | 3.9% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Fastenal’s and Steel Blue’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Fastenal**: Measured on the search term “fastenal”. - **Steel Blue**: Measured on the search term “steelblue”. - [Fastenal profile](/demand/global-en/brands/fastenal) - [Steel Blue profile](/demand/global-en/brands/steel-blue) - [All PPE and safety gear suppliers worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/ppe-suppliers): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Fastenal or Steel Blue more popular in search? In September 2026, Fastenal had more branded searches than Steel Blue among PPE and safety gear suppliers worldwide. Fastenal had about 246,000 branded searches, while Steel Blue had 60,500. Fastenal made up 15.7% of all PPE and safety gear supplier searches we track, and Steel Blue accounted for 3.9%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Fastenal vs Steel Blue: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/fastenal-vs-steel-blue This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/fastenal-vs-steel-blue. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.